


a weirdo's weirdo

by doofusface



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Requited Love, greed is mean so here we'll have some fun hmph, mj is observant and also has a very big crush, peter falls like stupid fast and i enjoy every minute of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 09:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20525732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doofusface/pseuds/doofusface
Summary: Peter Parker isn’t perfect.And MJ isalllllfor it.





	a weirdo's weirdo

**Author's Note:**

> i hurt my foot p bad and have been stuck on the couch/bed resting so obviously ive been WRITING (but not fic so oh well)
> 
> anyway here is a thing. i hope you enjoy it!

Peter Parker is a puzzle.

MJ doesn’t notice that fact at first, which is why it’s extra interesting—someone managing to fly under her radar for 0.5 seconds? A _scandal_, even.

He’s polite.

(That’s the first point.)

He’s polite if he has to be, and he’s polite when he doesn’t have to be.

But there’s a fine line in there—a little trick shot of sorts.

An inside joke, almost.

It’s when he knows what you’re saying shouldn’t make sense, or doesn’t, or won’t. It’s when he knows better, because _ duh _, he’s smarter than a lot of the smart kids in this smart kid school.

It’s when he wants to tell you you’re wrong, but social status says that’s probably not a good idea.

The trick shot is this face he makes—like he _ could_ say something, _ could_ snark back, _ could _ dare to raise his voice—but he won’t, not yet, not here.

And that’s intriguing.

Peter Parker isn’t perfect.

And MJ is _ alllll _ for it.

* * *

Flash says something wrong as an answer in calc, and something clicks—for a second, or half that.

Something clicks and Peter’s mouth is about to say something snarky.

She knows, because he’s Spider-Man (67% sure), and Spider-Man is notoriously snarky (100% sure).

Ned elbows him, and Peter shuts his mouth.

It’s only on the days when Peter’s like, _ really _ tired.

When he _ almost _ forgets.

He has a purple bruise on his jaw that’s mostly hidden, but some of the makeup got smudged during lunch, and since they sit at the same table…

Well, that’s his reason.

It’s when he’s tired, or beat up, or really, really sick of someone.

(That last one she’d only heard about in passing ala Cindy and Abe’s chatterbox routine—about a jerk on the subway and the boy she likes to call short telling him off in a _ very scary way—I didn’t even know it was Peter until we got off at the same stop._)

* * *

Something after the Blip made him more comfortable in his own skin.

Though, it was _ before _ when he’d started looking at her (sometimes), but dying tends to speed things up, huh?

MJ knows he thinks he’s at least _ somewhat _ good-looking, but he tries to be shy about it like he can’t really believe it.

Until, y’know, Prague.

Prague and changing in front of her because he’s an idiot and she was still processing that he’d, like, almost killed Brad with _ killer drones _.

It’s downhill after that.

She kisses him on the Tower Bridge, and then they kiss again.

(And again.)

Also on the bridge.

They have dibs on side-by-side seats on the plane, and Brad is more confused than anyone else, because _ when did _ they _ happen? _

It’s almost like the entire class knows, or assumed, or hoped.

(Harrington’s just glad Peter’s perfume allergy miraculously “healed,” and y’know what? The man deserves a break, anyway.)

(Oh. And. Tangent.

They got to fly home in First Class.

And Flash got kicked back to Business.)

Anyway.

It’s all handholding and shoulder leaning from there.

She’s pretty sure she’s seen Peter smirk (“smile,” as he claims) a few times on the plane, fiercely aware that 1) he is Cute, 2) his girlfriend is Also Cute, and 3) they are a Cute Pair.

“Stop saying ‘cute,’” MJ mumbles, hair fluffing where it rests between her head and Peter’s shoulder.

“Nuh-uh. The flight attendant lady said we’re cute, so I’m just stating a fact,” Peter says, tired but awake.

“…Loser.”

“You’re _ dating _ this loser.”

“Yeah,” MJ snorts, readjusting in her seat. She tightens her hugging grip on his arm. “I know.”

* * *

MJ thinks the weirdest thing about Peter is that he thinks he can solve problems by baiting them away from people he loves.

He goes back and forth with the idea with her—because she’s the closest person at the moment—and she manages to remind him that ditching just means they become open targets.

Her, Ned, May, Happy.

Targets without him. Without a shield.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but we don’t have superpowers,” MJ says, monotone and as kind as possible. “Peter, if you leave? We’re sitting ducks.”

“I can’t believe he did that,” Peter says, slumping into the dusty warehouse floor. “I mean—a little, but. But _how_? How’d he do it?”

“I’m sorry,” MJ blurts.

He looks up.

It doesn’t sound like an apology for the video itself.

“I’m sorry my uncle’s a psycho reporter,” she explains, and ah, yes.

That’s right.

The “J.”

“You’re related?” Peter blinks.

_ Wince. _“He’s been uninvited to every holiday ever…but yeah.”

“I thought it was just a common name.”

“Also yeah.”

“You look nothing alike,” Peter blurts out, and she almost kisses him again, but—time and place.

So.

“Thanks.” Pause. “Don’t run away.”

“Don’t run away. Right. Good plan.”

“I can call Ned?” MJ offers, because Peter’s starting to sweat like Happy.

“Better plan,” Peter says instead. “We _ all _ run away.”

“What, no ring?”

“Not eloping!”

_Tsk_. “Missed opportunity. Maybe Happy and May—”

“_MJ_, I love you, but please focu—what?”

MJ blinks.

Peter does, too. “What? What happened?” He looks around the warehouse, confused at his Peter Tingle™️ not sounding off. “I don’t sense—”

“You love me?”

And okay, the boy likes to bait problems away from people he loves by abandoning said people, but sometimes he just likes to bait things away and abandon feelings that probably need to be talked about, too.

“Did you know that sometimes hamsters eat their young?” he blabbers, fully aware that his girlfriend knows this and many other facts about death and the macabre. “Because they do. They do that. Sometimes.”

“Bet you wish you were a baby hamster right now,” MJ says, squinting.

“A little.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“…You’re not gonna deflect it, dude.”

Peter wiggles his fingers in front of her face, magician-style. “Or am I?”

_ Squint. _

“You make me nervous, you know that?”

“Yeah,” MJ laughs, that light, disbelieving one like on the bridge, “I kinda figured.”

“Well,” Peter says, gulping, “you make me nervous. AndalsoI_kinda_aminlovewithyou, but we can forget that last part.” Pause. “If you want.”

She plays with the loops on her jeans. “It sounds…nice.”

“…Yeah?”

“I could…get behind it. Y’know.” Pause. “I might’ve…lied. About _just_ liking you. I guess. Also.”

Peter blinks.

_ ¿Qué? _

“_ ¿Qué? _”

“I’m not saying it, and you can’t make me,” MJ monotones, coughing a little. “Give me like, two weeks.”

“I’m holding you to that, MJ,” Peter says, half-grinning. He taps his temple. “I’ll remember. Two weeks, exactly. What time is it? 2:41? Two weeks at 2:41 PM. Guaranteed. I’ll record it and everything.”

_ Shove _. “You suck.”

“But you lo—_no_, y’know what? I’ll save it,” he says, smirking. “Two weeks!”

(MJ thinks she hates him a lot, and also that this is the very best version of Peter Parker to exist, and that she’s really glad she gets to meet him.)

“So does that mean you’re not ditching?” MJ says, not blushing but definitely getting warmer cheeks.

“It means I can ditch for two weeks and come back.”

“Please, you’re always late.”

“MJ!” Peter pouts.

“Spidey.”

“…Fine,” he whines, shoulders sagging. He puts his mask back on. “Karen? Can you call um, May, Ned, and Happy, please?”

MJ pats the top of his head. “Attaboy.”

* * *

Peter Parker is a puzzle.

He’s an enigma, a unicorn, a legendary lake monster but pocket-sized.

He’s really nice, and really snarky, and really cute, and really smart, and _really_, just a good boy in a sea of mediocre boys.

And he would be all that without a radioactive spider bite.

And that’s annoying.

“You shouldn’t exist,” MJ blanks. She’d been slumped on the couch, staring at him for three minutes, and he’d been smiling up intermittently while doing his trig homework on the floor with Ned.

Peter tilts his head, that little bruise from the afternoon's fight half-hidden by his lil swoopy-swoop curl showing itself once more. “Um?”

MJ squints. “Like, scientifically, I don’t think you should exist.”

“…Scientifically.”

Ned nods. “Oh, yeah. I think most people die from radiation.”

“Except the Hulk,” Peter argues, weakly, with a scrunch of his face.

“Big _whoop_! Dr. Banner was always around that stuff. He probably had, like, _immunity_ or something.”

“That’s definitely wrong, but I’m too sleepy to correct you,” MJ says, clicking her tongue. “Anyway.” She looks at her boyfriend. “Peter—you’re weird.”

“Well, that’s_ rude_,” he replies, jaw dropping dramatically. He puts his hand on his chest, gasping. “Slighted! In my own home!”

“There’s a reason you didn’t make the school play,” Ned coughs.

Peter gasps, for real. “Dude!”

“I’m just statin’ facts!”

“Weird,” MJ says again, hand splayed out at him, “that’s you. Confirmed.”

Peter presses his lips together.

“Shouldn’t exist.”

And tighter.

“Actual unicorn.”

“…I feel like there’s a point to this—because it’s you—but I can’t figure it out—because it’s you.”

“You’re a very special human being,” MJ monotones, “and I love you, and you’re a dope, and you’re an anomaly.”

Peter grins, wide as ever. “Yeah?”

MJ shrugs. “I like anomalies.”

Ned raises his hand. “Am I an anomaly?”

“Hmm. Are you and Betty still doing that weird on-off thing you do?”

“…Yes.”

“First of all, we’re going to start college in a few months, so you really need to deal with that,” MJ says, quirking a brow, at the highest level of _Judging Face_. “Second of all: yeah, sure, you’re an anomaly.”

Ned fistpumps. “Hell yeah!”

Peter sits up. “But I’m your favorite anomaly.”

“Needy,” MJ snorts, a teeny-tiny smile creeping in.

“Says the girl who stole my sweater because I was off-world for a week.”

“Yeah, says her. How’s that make you look, huh?”

“Like her favorite anomaly.”

“Context clues agree.”

“YES!”

“Dude, you’ve been dating for like, two years,” Ned squints.

“See,” MJ says, tilting her head and raising her brows. “A weirdo.”

“Why do you like me anyway?” Peter asks, attention mostly back to his homework. “Like, other than my abs.”

“_Wow_.”

“That’s a fair shot,” Ned nods solemnly. “We all remember Prague.”

MJ manages not to implode. “…I hate both of you. Equally.”

“Whatever, you’ve sung karaoke in my car,” Ned says, smirking. “Our bond is unbreakable.”

“_Equally_.” Pause, as she turns to Peter. “I like you because you’re a weirdo.”

“That’s reassuring,” Peter says, not reassured.

“You’re a puzzle,” MJ explains, chewing the inside of her cheek. “You’re like, six different oxymorons together. So you’re super _human_.” Pause. “And, uh, superhuman. Too. But that’s just a bonus.”

“You like him because he’s…” Ned starts, eyes slowly tracking to Peter, “…average.”

“He’s above-average,” MJ says, scrunching up half her face. “The most average of above-averages.”

“…Super average.”

“We’re gonna go in a circle here, Ned.”

“I still think it’s my abs,” Peter says, lips pursed.

“I _ will _ make EDITH attack you,” MJ squints.

Peter shakes his head. “_ Tsk _. Give the love of your life access to multi-billion dollar equipment, and she betrays you—just like that.”

“I wasn’t messin’!” MJ huffs, kicking at him. “It’s ‘cause you’re a _ puzzle _, and that was annoying, so I kept noticing you, and here we are.”

Peter grins dopily. “Here we are.”

“A debatable amount of years, one half-universe-wiping supervillain, one _Clear Your Name_ scandal, and six psychos with a grudge against your alter-ego,” Ned lists, eyes up at the ceiling as he counts. He pauses, recounts silently, and looks at his friends with a wide smile. “Man.”

MJ shakes her head, a small smile on her lips as she lies back on the couch.

Her voice is soft, and fond, and content with the present.

It’s powerful, and sure, and (a little) anxious about the future.

It’s a puzzle.

_ Laugh _. “Here we are.”

**Author's Note:**

> anyway im from the yj fandom so really, anything can happen if you yell loud enough (maybe. idk. we can try! it's what spidey would do!!)
> 
> also ive been conspiracy brain thinking that mj's last name is jameson since we STILL didnt get her surname but we got neds and we didnt need either!! I TAKE THIS TO THE GRAVE (jk, just til im proven wrong)
> 
> (also i miss karen)
> 
> love ya goons, God bless you, you know where to find me, advance thanks for comments & kudos!!!


End file.
